- Joined
- Apr 11, 2013
- Messages
- 3
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Hello all, I rescued a tiny black long-haired girl kitten February 19. She had been found by some kids in a trash pile in a park, and they brought her to a vet while I happened to be there. As soon as I saw this little baby I was smitten, so I took her home. She was only about 1.5 weeks old. The vet (incorrectly) told me that it was a boy so I named her Milo. Later when I found out she was a girl, I just kept the name because it suited her.
The vet told me she had a birth defect, a flattened chest/thorax, so I started investigating on the internet and learned about Flat-Chested Kitten Syndrome. Unfortunately here in Mexico, I haven't found any vets knowledgeable on the subject. Baby Milo seemed to be doing pretty well after being dewormed, de-flead, and given vitamins. I hand-fed her and spent many sleepless nights watching over her as she recovered from anemia and malnutrition.
Fast forward to Easter week, when I went out of town and boarded her with a vet, which I thought would be the best place for her. When I returned, she was very weak and thin, and with a respiratory infection to boot. Her regular vet gave her an antibiotic shot and said she was dehydrated. I started giving her fluids in a syringe and feeding her chicken in water and A/D canned food, and she seemed to be improving - she started playing again, increased appetite, pooping & peeing normally, etc.
Today she suddenly started breathing very laboriously so I rushed her to yet another vet who has X-ray. (There aren't very many in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico). He wasn't very optimistic and told me that this genetic defect could only be treated by surgery, which is only possible in a larger city, and that otherwise she would die. Since this contradicted my online research, I decided to just have the X-rays and try to do more investigation. He wanted to put her to sleep immediately.
The X-rays show that her heart is in the normal position but that her sternum is curving upward. One of her lungs is also somewhat deflated and she has air in her intestinal tract since she was breathing through her mouth. I will try to take a photo of the X-ray and upload it here. I am begging for any advice, I just can't give up on Baby Milo now, she is a fighter and the thought of putting her to sleep breaks my heart. Thank you for reading.
The vet told me she had a birth defect, a flattened chest/thorax, so I started investigating on the internet and learned about Flat-Chested Kitten Syndrome. Unfortunately here in Mexico, I haven't found any vets knowledgeable on the subject. Baby Milo seemed to be doing pretty well after being dewormed, de-flead, and given vitamins. I hand-fed her and spent many sleepless nights watching over her as she recovered from anemia and malnutrition.
Fast forward to Easter week, when I went out of town and boarded her with a vet, which I thought would be the best place for her. When I returned, she was very weak and thin, and with a respiratory infection to boot. Her regular vet gave her an antibiotic shot and said she was dehydrated. I started giving her fluids in a syringe and feeding her chicken in water and A/D canned food, and she seemed to be improving - she started playing again, increased appetite, pooping & peeing normally, etc.
Today she suddenly started breathing very laboriously so I rushed her to yet another vet who has X-ray. (There aren't very many in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico). He wasn't very optimistic and told me that this genetic defect could only be treated by surgery, which is only possible in a larger city, and that otherwise she would die. Since this contradicted my online research, I decided to just have the X-rays and try to do more investigation. He wanted to put her to sleep immediately.
The X-rays show that her heart is in the normal position but that her sternum is curving upward. One of her lungs is also somewhat deflated and she has air in her intestinal tract since she was breathing through her mouth. I will try to take a photo of the X-ray and upload it here. I am begging for any advice, I just can't give up on Baby Milo now, she is a fighter and the thought of putting her to sleep breaks my heart. Thank you for reading.
